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Sime--reciobHHrTivIrjfW
Dark Tunnel Opening to Light - shown to scale
Josef Sime

Dark Tunnel Opening to Light

Estimated price$1,974 – $3,666

Etching

30 × 40 cm | 11.8 × 15.7 in

Certificate of Authenticity

A Certificate of Authenticity (COA) is a signed document verifying that this artwork is the genuine work of the named artist. For pieces from the Hindiyeh Collection, the COA is signed by the collection. For gallery- or artist-direct pieces, it is issued by the gallery or by the artist's authorized estate.

The COA includes the artist's name, the title, year, medium, and dimensions of the work, and is delivered with the artwork at the time of dispatch.

Rarity classifications

Unique
A one-of-a-kind work. No other version of this piece exists.

Limited edition
The artist or their estate produced a known, finite number of copies. The edition size is shown in the work's details.

Open edition
The edition run is ongoing. New works may still be produced in the same series, which may be numbered or made to order.

Unknown edition
The edition has ended, but the number originally produced is no longer documented.
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Shipping & taxes

Ships from Amman, Jordan. Hand-packed in a custom crate or rigid art-tube depending on medium and size.

Delivery (after handling): 5–10 business days within MENA, 10–18 to Europe and North America, 14–25 elsewhere. Larger or framed works ship via fine-art freight; timing confirmed by email after purchase.

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Works leaving Jordan require an export clearance certificate, arranged on your behalf.

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About the work

A powerful etching depicting a dark, cave-like tunnel that opens into a bright central void, with radiating geometric lines converging toward the luminous centre. Dense cross-hatching fills the surrounding darkness, creating a striking tension between shadow and light.

Josef Sime (Czech Republic, 1891–1971).

Etching, 40 × 30 cm.

Part of the permanent collection of the Hindiyeh Museum of Arts, Jordan. Signed and editioned 31/50.

Medium
Size
30 × 40 cm | 11.8 × 15.7 in
Rarity
Limited Edition
Certificate of authenticity
Included
Genre
Colours
Black and White
Location
Amman, Jordan

About the artist

Josef Sime — Etching , 40 × 30 cm (representative image)
Josef Sime

Czech Republic, b. 1891–1971

Josef Šíma (1891–1971) was a Czech-born painter who became a significant figure in European modern art. After studying at the Academy of Arts in Prague under Jan Preisler, he became involved with the Devětsil movement and Umělecká beseda before relocating to Paris in 1921. In 1926, he acquired French citizenship and became the artistic director for the journal Le Grand Jeu in 1929, collaborating with poets René Daumal, Roger Gilbert-Lecomte, and Roger Vailland.

Šíma's artistic journey encompassed a range of inspirations, from sensual experiences and geometric abstraction to explorations of nature's archetypes, often depicted as crystals, cosmic eggs, and female torsos. His fascination with landscapes and mythology culminated in cosmic visions and symbols of human destiny. He participated in documenta 2 in 1959 and contributed to various artistic endeavors, including book illustrations, scenic paintings, and designing stained glass windows, notably in the Church of St. Jacques in Reims.

Throughout his career, Šíma maintained strong ties to both Czech and French avant-garde circles, bridging the artistic developments of both cultures. His work continues to be celebrated for its unique synthesis of surrealism, abstraction, and symbolism, reflecting a profound engagement with the mysteries of existence and the cosmos.

View all works by Josef Sime

Printmaking

Images made by transferring ink from a prepared surface — etching, lithography, screenprint, woodcut — usually in limited editions. Iraqi artists such as Rafa Nasiri helped make printmaking a serious modern art form across the Arab world.
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Expressionism

Art that prioritizes emotion and inner experience over realistic depiction, using distortion, bold color, and energetic mark-making. In the region it gave modern artists a language for memory, displacement, and identity.
View more expressionism artworks